Monday, October 31, 2011

Male on Monday: Let's Talk Nerdy

Lee McKenzie joins us again for a great Male on Monday post - brains are sexy!

Geeks. Nerds.
Brainiacs. You know the guy I’m talking about. The one with a pocket protector
in his lab coat, tape on his glasses and a bit of an overbite. At least that’s
the stereotype that readily comes to mind.

One of the wonderful
things about being a writer is taking a stereotype—in this case a nerd—beyond a
reader’s expectations, giving him a personality and, yes, turning him into a
heartbreakingly sexy hero worthy of winning the love of a beautiful woman.

If right about now
you’re thinking this can’t be done, let’s take a look at some of Hollywood’s geeks
and nerds. Successful film and television writers don’t fall back on
stereotypes. They employ archetypes, i.e., the eight male archetypes laid out
in The Complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes & Heroines: Sixteen Master Archetypes
by Tami D. Cowden, Caro LaFever and Sue Viders. Hands-down the best writing
how-to book I’ve ever read.

A common nerd
archetype is the Professor. Think
Ross Geller on Friends and Charlie
Eppes on NUMB3RS.

Already we’ve
dispelled the myth that nerds aren’t sexy, right?! Both of these men are
experts in their chosen academic careers and they analyze everything before
making a decision, but what you see is what you get. This man is who he is,
without pretence. He’s so focused on what he’s doing that he often doesn’t have
much time or room in his life for others, including a love interest. And when a
woman does catch his eye, he’s not likely to make any quick moves because none
of his expertise pertains to relationships. How long did it take Ross and Rachel
to get together? Charlie and Amita? I rest my case.

When we first meet Indiana
Jones (aka Colonel Henry Walton Jones, Jr., Ph.D.) we learn he’s a professor of
archaeology, so he could be a Professor archetype, couldn’t he?

Except once he springs
into action, we discover he’s a Swashbuckler
archetype. Fearless (except for snakes!) and definitely your go-to guy if you
want something done. He might not choose the most conventional way to achieve
his goals and there will undoubtedly be setbacks, but ultimately nothing gets
in his way. The Swashbuckler is definitely worthy of his heroine’s love, as
long as she’s not the kind of woman who sits at home waiting for the phone to
ring. Once he’s on a quest, he’s not the most dependable man she’ll ever meet
but he’ll take her on an adventure that will last a lifetime.

My absolute favourite
sit-com on TV right now is The Big Bang
Theory. If you’ve watched it, you’ll know it’s nerd central. Four men, as
nerdy as they come, and not a stereotype in sight.

Sheldon Cooper has a
genius IQ, an opinion about everything, and a complete lack of social skills.
Sheldon is a Chief archetype.

Definitely a brilliant
man at the pinnacle of his career, but he’s a my-way-or-the-highway kind of
guy. Fiercely competitive, his determination to achieve a goal is unwavering and
he’s always right. At least in his opinion he is. And if he isn’t right,
there’s no point trying to change his mind because he can be annoyingly
patronizing to those who don’t agree with him. Sheldon Cooper is living
breathing proof that a nerd can be an alpha male. I’m just waiting for Amy
Farrah Fowler’s hormones to get the better of both of them.

By comparison, Raj
Koothrappali is as beta as they come. Archetype? Raj is a Lost Soul.

Here’s Cowden et al’s
description of the Lost Soul archetype: “This misfit has never adapted to
society. A tremendous physical or emotional injury has produced a baffling
puzzle of a man.” In Raj’s case, it’s produced a man who can’t talk to a woman
unless he’s drunk. Although seemingly withdrawn, his emotions are roiling and
boiling just beneath the surface. He cries at movies, knows what women want even
though he can’t talk to them, and feels hurt and betrayed when his friend
Howard takes him for granted.

Howard Wolowitz is the
nerd world’s version of a Charmer
archetype.

Howard? A charmer?
Seriously, you ask? That’s right. He doesn’t charm his way into the hearts of
many women, but a smarmy pick-up line always lingers on the tip of his tongue.
His wardrobe is the nerd version of Cowden et al’s “sparkle and glitz” and his
swagger is his personal interpretation of alluring. The Charmer wants the best
of all worlds, so although Howard is engaged to Bernadette, he isn’t ready to
cut himself loose from his mother’s apron strings.

The Big Bang Theory’s fourth nerd, and my favorite character on
the show, is Leonard Hofstadter. Being reliable, dependable and everybody’s
best friend makes Leonard a Best Friend
archetype.

This easy-going guy
will do almost anything for anyone. Never quick to stand up for himself, he’ll rush
without hesitation to the aid of the beautiful woman across the hall. A Best
Friend will give you the shirt off his back, then let you cry on his bare
shoulder. He’ll often let a woman be the pursuer but when he does make a move
on his own, the results are sigh-worthy. And yes, I’m one of many fans still hoping
Leonard and Penny will get back together, and I’m sure they will, as soon as
they accept that they’re truly worthy of one another.

We’ve looked at some
of my favorite film and TV heroes, and six of the eight character archetypes. Nerds,
definitely. Stereotypes? No way. These are fully developed heroes, some
downright sexy, others appealing in their own unique way. Laughable, sometimes.
Loveable, always.

Lee McKenzie’s next
Harlequin American Romance, The Christmas
Secret, will be released on November 1st—tomorrow! It’s a secret
baby story with a twist, a Christmas present with a hidden past, and it’s
available at Harlequin,
Amazon.com and bookstores everywhere.

Every commenter on this post will be entered in a draw to win an autographed copy of The Christmas Secret and other holiday goodies!

Thanks, Heidi! Do you mean Mac in Vision in White, the first book in the Bride Quartet series? I love Carter, the hero of that book. When he gets flustered or embarrassed, even his ears blush. Adorable!

Yeah, I can relate to Penny and Leonard's relationship. It makes sense from the writers' points of view that they be kept apart. It makes for a better story (IMHO). Think back to when Mork and Mindy finally got together, and the show was doomed. Ditto for Remington Steel and other shows. Yup. It's best to keep the angst, etc. brimming by keeping them apart, at least for now.

ITA, Laney. That relationship story arc definitely sets television apart from film and fiction. After a while I lose interest in book and film series where the hero and heroine never make a commitment, but a weekly TV series can keep the tension moving.

Hey, Lee, awesome post. I'm not a TV watcher, but I've been trying to think of who my favourite book hero is. It's interesting that Heidi mentions Nora Roberts' Three Sisters Trilogy. I just dug through boxes and boxes of books still packed from a move and found that series. I'd have to agree with her about Mac in Book 2. Of course, Zach in the first book who is a best friend archetype, IMHO, is pretty cool too.

Sheryll, thank you for clarifying! I misinterpreted Heidi's comment and jumped to the conclusion that she was talking about the heroine Mac in the first Bride Quartet book. I haven't read the Three Sisters Trilogy. Now I know there's a nerd hero, it'll be added to my TBR pile :)

Lee, thanks for the tip. I'm going to hunt up TCWGTH&H and read it. Writing is all about the next wip, and it never gets easier, does it? ;) Btw, what type of h/h is in The Christmas Secret? I'll be hunting it up this weekend. :)